'Man Seeking Woman' brings touch of surrealism to the screen
'Man Seeking Woman'
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'Man Seeking Woman'
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Archer” got bored.After a while, every television show begins to feel repetitive. There are only a finite amount of plots for every series, and once in a while writers may have to take subplots of past episodes and build off of them. “Archer” would not allow this to happen. The show has now become “Archer Vice,” referencing “Miami Vice,” the 1980s television show about detectives working in Miami.The past four seasons of the FX animated comedy have all been comprised of exploits at the spy agency ISIS. However, as the fifth season begins, ISIS is found to be corrupt, leaving all of the top spies out of a job.Instead of retreading past adventures of Archer, Lana, Cyril and the rest of the ISIS gang, creator Adam Reed has made it so that these ex-spies will have to find a new way to make money.Of course, the former agents still have the skills that got them to the top, but they are now using these talents to sell cocaine the squad has taken from ISIS. This results in hijinks, as the crew quickly understands just how difficult their new profession is.It’s interesting to see how the crew develops and grows together in such a turbulent time. Like past seasons, many of the jokes on “Archer” utilize callbacks or references to other shows. The voice-work on this show is also some of the best on television. H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Taylor and Chris Parnell all have perfect grasps on their characters. The show also brings in a plethora of guest-stars such as Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor and even Burt Reynolds.One of the main differences in the new “Archer” is how story-driven the show has become. There were arcs throughout each season, but it was easier to watch episodes out of order without missing something. The fifth season has a more linear structure and allows “Archer” and the rest of his drug-dealers to develop. It also allows for strengthened bonds between the characters.The show has become a weekly must-watch, as missing an episode will hurt the overall viewing pleasure of the show. Better than ever, “Archer” at 10 p.m. on FX should be on everyone’s radar.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Let’s pretend last season never happened.The fifth season of the NBC comedy “Community” is now underway. The show has been firing on all cylinders, and the writing has been superb thus far. The show’s brilliance is emphasized by the utter chaos and dysfunction of last year.First, NBC fired Dan Harmon, the creator and head writer of “Community,” in spring 2013.However, due to the show’s cult following and NBC’s inability to create hits, the show stayed on the air. But firing the genius behind the show created trouble. He was replaced by new showrunners David Guarascio and Moses Port.They tried their best to match the wit and distinctiveness of previous seasons, but came up short.The show became so far-fetched and rotten that even the biggest fans of “Community” could not bear to watch once-loved characters struggle through such absurd situations. NBC had a choice to make. They could stick with this crummy version, cancel the show completely or rescind their decision and allow Dan Harmon to come back. Well, Harmon is back, and the ship has been righted. “Community” will never be the ratings bonanza that NBC wants or the normal college-shenanigans sitcom that would give it a boost in popularity. Instead, the show relies on callbacks, meta references and very detailed characters. Also, “Community” never sticks to one format. Even though it is usually a multi-camera comedy, there have been episodes entirely in claymation, video-game graphics or a film-noir format.All of these gimmicks are interesting and fun, but what makes the show really run are the characters. The concept of the show began with a study group of seven people who are given community college stereotypes, such as jock or teacher’s pet, but are fleshed out over the course of the show.A disbarred lawyer named Jeff Winger, played by Joel McHale, never finished school and needs to go back to community college to get a degree. He ends up creating a study group to try to impress a girl and, eventually, this eclectic unit becomes inseparable.A common mantra for fans of the show is “six seasons and a movie.” Those dedicated fans have kept this little-show-that-could on the air. It has gone through rough patches, but the comedy is back with the show in the right person’s hands.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Everything is quiet. The outline of two individuals appears on the screen, and one seems to be carrying the other. Abruptly, there’s a wide shot of a barren landscape as a fire expands over the horizon.Although “True Detective” begins its eight-episode arc with a grisly murder, this show is so much more than a standard detective drama.Written by established novelist Nic Pizzolatto, the series focuses on the Louisiana State Police homicide detectives Rust Cohle and Martin Hart, played by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, respectively. Hart begins the show as the straight man, while Cohle has a more brooding and pensive disposition.The show focuses on the conflicts between these partners and how their distinct personalities lead to trouble.The detectives clash over Cohle’s connection with Hart’s wife, Maggie, played by Michelle Monaghan.Hart’s marriage seems to have been on the rocks for a while, and with Cohle in the middle, there is no conceivable happy ending. The chaos between the married couple is forged extremely early in the show and will become more consequential as the plot progresses.The main storyline in the anthology series is the investigators’ attempts to solve the aforementioned murder in 1995 Louisiana. However, this exploration is interspersed with clips from 2012 where Cohle and Hart are questioned about their old case. These interrogation scenes contain some of the most thought-provoking and intriguing dialogue on television. Cohle, in particular, has many mini-monologues about life, death and religion, which set the ominous tone for the series.It’s apparent that time has taken a toll on these two individuals, which leads the audience to question just what happened during this investigation.One facet that makes this show so noteworthy is that the story of Cohle and Hart will end with the conclusion of the first season.HBO has ordered this yearly series knowing that every eight episodes will result in a finished story and will be followed subsequently with a dissimilar cast and plot.This ensures there will be no lulls during each season since storylines cannot be pushed until next year. Also, this miniseries-like format allows HBO to enlist more blockbuster actors because it doesn’t require as much of a time commitment. In a world ravaged by nonsensical TV programming, it’s nice to see such a sharp and stimulating show from HBO every Sunday night.The action scenes are incredible, but what really matters is underneath the surface. “True Detective” has been fantastic thus far, and as long as the show stays on the right track, HBO seems to have another Emmy-winning show on its hands.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The women’s tennis team is gearing up for the start of its season. The IU Winter Invitational will begin Saturday and continue through Monday. The Hoosiers will play the University of Oregon, Harvard University, Marquette University and Abilene Christian University.IU will look to recover from the break and prepare for the season, which starts next week.“It’s kind of an effort to play yourself back into shape so that when we start the dual match season, we’re ready,” IU Coach Lin Loring said.This season, the Hoosiers have added three new faces. Freshmen Paula Gutierrez, Mary Beth King and Kim Schmider will play this weekend and show their improvements from the beginning of the school year.The players will not be the only individuals using this event to their advantage.Loring wants to finalize the positions before dual matches next week. The spots are not final, as Loring can alter the standings throughout the year based on player performance and doubles team chemistry.“We’re going to be using this tournament, and also next week’s practices, to set the lineup before next Saturday when we play Xavier and Cincinnati,” Loring said. “The main thing we’re going to be looking for is consistency. I think the first time out, this weekend, if someone tries to play too big, they’ll make too many errors. It’s going to be a matter of who keeps the ball in the court.”During the 2013 season, the Hoosiers made a NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years.This year’s team looks to build off that success.The squad is currently ranked No. 41 in the nation by the ITA National Rankings, and three players are ranked nationally. Junior Katie Klyczek, senior Sophie Garre and sophomore Gabrielle Rubenstein are ranked No. 73, No. 86 and No. 118, respectively. The team has high hopes for the season and will be using this tournament as a launch-off point.“Last year, we were not ranked as high,” junior Alecia Kauss said. “I think it shows our improvement and how we can play with anyone. It’s also a little motivation for us to try and break that top 30.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s tennis team will have to replace an integral part of its lineup from last year. Leslie Hureau played in the No. 1 singles position since her sophomore year and was a four time All-Big Ten Player. She graduated last year and left behind a hole in the lineup.IU Coach Lin Loring said Hureau had a great influence on the team, and it will be tough to replace her. “She was a great team member, a great team leader and obviously she was a pretty good player,” Loring said. “We knew we had a solid No. 1 for three years, and she was just a great competitor.”Loring has not made a final decision and has been rotating different players in the No. 1 spot. One of the top contenders to make the jump to this position is junior Katie Klyczek.Klyczek has played No. 1 singles in all of the preseason tournaments thus far and said she is up to the challenge. In the Hoosier Classic, a tennis preseason event, Klyczek went undefeated. On the second day of the June Steward Invitational, Klyczek won in straight sets as a singles player and won a doubles match alongside Carolyn Chupa.When asked about the difference between No. 1 and No. 2 singles, Kylczek said, “Obviously every point counts the same for the team, but it’s a big responsibility, and you always have to expect that you’re going to play a really tough match no matter who you’re playing.”The regular season begins in early January, which means she still has time to practice and improve her game. “I feel like I still need to work on working through the point and maintaining patience,” Klyczek said. “I just want to stay focused throughout the whole match.”Although Hureau is no longer at IU, the women’s tennis team wants to retain her firepower and knowledge of the game through current players.“I would love to play with Leslie’s attitude and demeanor on the court,” Klyczek said. “She always kept her composure, fought for each point, and her game was excellent. So I would like to be able to take that with me.”Follow reporter Greg Gottfried on Twitter @gott31.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Plagued for a year by injuries, senior Kayla Fujimoto is trying to get back on the tennis court.Fujimoto was a large part of the success during IU’s 2011-12 women’s tennis season. During her sophomore year, Fujimoto had a 22-9 record in the No. 6 singles spot and was part of the winningest doubles duo for IU, going 28-11 alongside Evegeniya Vertesheva.“I battled a shoulder injury all spring,” Fujimoto said. “I had surgery in September of my junior year.”She had played through the pain during her sophomore year, but she eventually opted for surgery and was sidelined for her junior campaign. IU Coach Lin Loring said the shoulder injury wasn’t the only problem for Fujimoto. “Kayla had a little bit of a wrist injury,” Loring said. “She had it earlier in her career, and it kind of came back again when she was hitting.“Since she was already out, we decided to do the wrist surgery also. One just followed the other.”Fujimoto spent her junior year in the athletic training room trying to rehab and get back to form for the upcoming season. “It was just a constant process that whole year,” Fujimoto said. “And this summer, once I was cleared to play, I just worked really hard training and practicing.”She was able to start hitting in April 2013.Fujimoto said she just wanted to play and get back into the swing of things. In the Hoosier Classic, her first preseason tournament, Fujimoto had a perfect weekend in singles, going undefeated.In the Vanderbilt University June Stewart Invitational, she won her singles match 6-2, 6-0.The IU women’s tennis team will be playing in the Western Michigan Invitational in November for its last preseason tournament.Fujimoto still has room for improvement and will be using this preseason play as a way to progress.“She just needs to play a lot of matches,” Loring said. “It’s one thing doing drills and rallies, but it’s another thing to play.”Fujimoto is ready to have a productive season after she lost a season to injury.“It’s my senior year, and I just want to make the best of it,” Fujimoto said. “I don’t want to regret anything, and I just want to compete as hard as I can.”Follow reporter Greg Gottfried on Twitter @gott31.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Although it was just a preseason event, the IU women’s tennis team was very pleased with how it performed at the June Stewart Invitational in Nashville, Tenn.Vanderbilt was host to the tournament, which was made up of teams that were each in the top 50 of last year’s NCAA Division I rankings.The invitational took place from Friday to Sunday.On the first day, IU won two singles matches and one doubles match. The doubles team was comprised of freshman Paula Gutierrez and senior Gabrielle Rubenstein, who won by a score of 8-0. Senior Sophie Garre beat Vanderbilt’s nationally ranked Georgina Sellyn in three sets in singles play.On the second day, senior Kayla Fujimoto, junior Carolyn Chupa, junior Katie Klyczek and freshman Kim Schmider all won their singles matches.In their doubles matches, the Hoosiers only lost eight games between the four competitions.On Sunday, IU won six of its seven singles matchups. Five of the victories came in straight sets. IU Coach Lin Loring said he was very pleased with his team’s play.“Even the matches that we lost we were still working on the things we’ve been doing in practice,” he said. “I thought everybody did a good job sticking to the game plan. All in all, it was a good tournament for us.”One of the main focuses for Loring was to pair up different players and find different doubles team pairings. “We stuck with the top three and I thought they played well,” Loring said. “We had two new combinations since the first tournament.”The Hoosiers have three weeks until their next preseason event. They will be going to Michigan for the end of the fall season’s tournaments.Loring said there are still some goals the team can work toward.“We have to work on a lot of the individual stuff for each player. We’ll mainly be working on singles stroke mechanics with each player.”Follow reporter Greg Gottfried on Twitter @gott31.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This weekend, the IU women’s tennis team will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to play in the June Stewart Invitational at Vanderbilt University. All four schools competing in this tournament finished last season ranked in the top 50 in the NCAA National Rankings.Vanderbilt finished at No. 19, Georgia Institute of Technology No. 21, IU No. 42 and the College of William and Mary finished at No. 44 in last year's rankings. The games will be played from Friday through Sunday.Official match play begins in January 2014.The Hoosiers are using this tournament as a way to improve and get some practice leading into the season.IU Coach Lin Loring is entering his 37th as head coach of the women’s team.He said he is using this tournament as a way to test different players and see how they fare as doubles partners.“We’re just trying to get a lot of matches and figure out what our doubles teams will be when we get to the winter and spring and start duel matches” Loring said. “You can change doubles partners whenever you want during the tournament.”The team has already played in the Hoosier Classic in Bloomington.The tournament included the Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Kansas State and Western Michigan University.Since it was not an official match, no team was deemed the victor, however many IU players showed their wares and got off to a nice start for this IU women’s tennis year. IU went 23-5 in singles and 16-4 in doubles play during the Hoosier Classic.IU has also begun practices and is working hard to be ready for the season.“We’ve definitely been working very hard with fitness, and we have made some stroke changes for our games. I think that we’ll be mentally and physically tougher for this season,” junior Katie Klyczek said.Last year the team earned an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in three years. They also had 18 wins, which is the most since the 2007-08 season. IU women’s tennis has lost two players for this upcoming season. Leslie Hureau, who was IU’s first singles player and NCAA All-American last season, has graduated. Also, Jithmie Jayawickrema, who ended in the sixth singles spot, is finishing her degree but is still around as the student assistant.Loring, when asked about how the new players will step into their predecessor’s roles, said they’re trying to straighten out the edges before the season begins. “We’re just trying to get our freshmen used to college,” she said. “We have a couple of kids who are coming back off injuries so we can get all of the rough spots out before January.”Senior Kayla Fujimoto was one of the players who was injured last season and is ready for the upcoming year. She sat out all of the 2012-13 campaign due to a shoulder injury and has started playing again for the first time in a year. She won three matches during the Hoosier Classic and will be playing in the June Stewart Invitational this weekend.Though the season does not kick off for a couple months, the team said it already has a set of goals it wants to accomplish. “We obviously want to make it to NCAAs at the end and hopefully finish top three in the Big Ten,” Klyczek said. “We just want to keep improving.”Follow reporter Greg Gottfried on Twitter @gott31.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU baseball team has a motto referring to its goals for the upcoming season. “Our slogan is ‘Unfinished Business,’ as we’re looking to get back to Omaha for the College World Series,” said infielder Casey Rodrigue, a transfer student from Louisiana State University-Eunice. “We’re ready for a really good season.”The team is in the midst of playing eight total “Fall Ball” games, including three intercollegiate games, all at Bart Kaufman Field.The team already played against St. Joseph’s College and Xavier University on Sunday and Monday, respectively.Against St. Joe’s, IU won 9-3 behind a sixth-inning home run by junior catcher Kyle Schwarber and a seventh-inning three-run double by Rodrigue.The Hoosiers won again Monday night against Xaxier 6-2, with home runs from Schwarber, junior outfielder Will Nolden and junior first baseman Sam Travis. Junior pitcher Kyle Hart threw five strikeouts through the first three innings helping the Hoosiers to a good start.The Hoosiers will also play a Cream and Crimson game at 8 p.m Oct. 18.Under the leadership of IU Coach Tracy Smith, the team had an overall record of 49-16, including a 17-7 record against Big Ten opponents in 2013.Smith garnered 2013 National Coach of the Year honors.The Hoosiers finished last season ranked No. 12 overall in the NCAA Baseball Division I rankings.Although it was the first time the Hoosiers made the College World Series, the team members said they feel they could have gone further in the tournament.“We got there last year, and no one was really that much better than us,” Hart said. “We were playing with every team that we played against and probably should have won every game that we played in. I think it’s a really realistic goal to try to get back there.” Despite three Hoosiers being drafted, only fifth round selection Aaron Slegers has departed to the professional ranks as part of the Minnesota Twins organization.The team also lost shortstop Michael Basil and outfielder Justin Cureton to graduation. Other than that, all starters from last year’s team returned.Team members said they are already putting in the time to get ready for the season. “The defense is getting better, and the hitting is unbelievable still,” Hart said. “The pitching is also coming along well. We’re getting there.”With the recent success, baseball has been growing in popularity at the University. “When we were playing last summer, people would come up to us and pat us on the back saying that they were proud of us,” junior outfielder Chris Sujka said. “A lot of people have told me that they’re looking forward to coming to games this year.”The Hoosiers have high hopes for the season, which begins in February.“The goal is to win it,” Sujka said. “We got a lot of guys back, so we’re hungry to win the whole thing, not just get there.”Follow reporter Greg Gottfried on Twitter @gott31.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Biscuit Cutter. Knitty Gritty. Shock ‘N Roll. Uh Huh Hurricane.Roller skaters with outlandish nicknames make up the local Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls team, part of a national resurgence of the sport.“The revival happened in Texas in 2001, and it’s slowly been growing since,” Michelle “Special Sass” Melhouse said. “This is the first year of divisional tournaments, and it’s moving towards a more mainstream sports layout without sacrificing anything.”For the past three years, the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls have tried to qualify for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association’s divisional tournament.They finally accomplished this long-standing goal. “The Top 40 teams get to go to Division I, and we ended up at 35,” Melhouse said. “By far, the smallest town in Division 1.” The WFTDA playoffs started Friday in Fort Wayne. The Cincinnati Rollergirls were the first opponent for the Bloomington squad. There is a heated rivalry between the two as they have already played each other twice this season, splitting the matches. “We played really awesome, but we lost by three points in the last 20 seconds of the game,” Melhouse said. “It was a heartbreaker.”The local team went on to lose two more matches to teams from Grand Rapids, Mich., and St. Louis.For those who don’t know roller derby, or those who fell on roller skates, got amnesia and forgot about the sport, Savannah “Bipolar Curves” Simmonscan explains.“There’s one jammer and four blockers for each team on the track,” Simmons said. “The blockers are trying to hold back the opposing jammer, while the jammers are trying to break through the pack and lap them. The two jammers are racing with the assistance of their blockers.”The Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls is made up of IU alumni as well as many others in the local community. Like all athletic endeavors, roller derbies always have injuries lurking. “I’ve seen a couple broken legs,” Simmons said. “It’s not that common. It’s usually not from a big hit but somebody just puts their foot down and slips.”Not just for the young and spry, roller derby is played by people of all ages. “A lot of people have joined derby and are past the time where they think they could play in a sport anymore,” Melhouse said.However, members of the team said, the average age of a roller derby competitor is 30 to 32.“The team is amazing,” Simmons said. “It’s an instant family. Getting in shape, for sure. People don’t understand just how intense it is.”Additionally, the “family” of the team is bonded through nicknames that each team member receives. Although the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls did not place as well as they had hoped, they say they have had a great season and are proud of all of their accomplishments over the past year.“We’re still really proud about making it to the Division 1 playoffs for the first time, and it was still good as we were the smallest town there,” Melhouse said. “We feel like we took a lot out of the experience.”